The 800-km gas and oil pipeline corridor running from Burma’s western Arakan coast to China’s southern Yunnan province poses no threat to the environment or to nearby communities, according to Burmese Deputy Minister of Energy Aung Htoo.

Chinese dam-builders say resumption of the Irrawaddy seven-dam project will bring electricity, revenue, jobs and tourists to the region while a local NGO claims it will destroy the environment and livelihoods, and further fuel the conflict in Kachin State.

A new draft of Burma’s Electricity Bill is under final revision by relevant ministers and the lower house Natural Resources and Environmental Preservation Committee (NREPC), before submission to the ninth session of parliament this week.

Sculptors who work with wood may soon have easier access to raw material. The government’s Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) is planning to start a tender bidding system to conveniently sell wood to sculptors, as there is currently no direct channel for business with artists.

Some 4,000 people have been directly affected by floods in Sandoway, a coastal township in western Burma. Residents and township administrators told DVB that the River Sandoway had overflowed, flooding the downtown area on Monday,[…]

Gas has started flowing to energy-hungry China through a pipeline from Burma, Beijing’s official media reported, in a major project that highlights their economic links even as political ties come under pressure

As international energy giants flock to Rangoon for the 2nd Myanmar Oil, Gas and Power road show this week, western and Asian operators are scoping out investment opportunities in Southeast Asia’s final frontier market